USG Entomological Museum Coming to Rockville

The Universities at Shady Grove (USG) announced today that its Department of Entomology has selected the site for the USG Entomological Museum, following an exhaustive 14-month search. The new museum will open in Norbeck Center at 4007 Norbeck Road in Rockville later this year.

"The USG Entomological Museum will be the University's space for connecting the public to the extraordinary world of insects, especially native insects," said Department Chair Rice Spiellane, PhD.

Norbeck Center offers a proven environment where insects can thrive, access to consistent food supply, and the ability to have interactive public exhibits, according to Spiellane.

"Imagine an insect museum without cages, where insects appear out of nowhere, scurry down the wall, and disappear just as quickly. That was our vision, and our new location makes it all possible," Spiellane said.

The USG Entomological Museum will also house the University's Blattodea Research Center. Blattodea is an order of insects that contains cockroaches and termites.

"Maryland's most common cockroach, the gregarious German cockroach, have an elaborate social structure involving shared shelter, social dependence, information transfer and kin recognition. Our Norbeck Center location lets researchers explore their world like never before," Spiellane told The Montgonion.

While the USG Entomological Museum is expected to open in October, visitors should plan on taking an Uber or public transportation until next year. The disused White's Hardware building at the intersection of Norbeck Road and Georgia Avenue will be razed and replaced with a parking garage by summer 2025.